


Sweet Child of Mine

by Ardeejay



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Gen for now though, Not Infinity War compliant, Probably more characters later too, Toddler!Loki is cuteness incarnate, Tony is the daddiest, possibly IronStrange later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-06-23 19:08:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15613002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ardeejay/pseuds/Ardeejay
Summary: Tony already has a teenage son, but fate (with the help of Odin’s terrible parenting) conspires to give him a toddler one too.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Finally Belonging](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9557450) by [YodelingProspector](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YodelingProspector/pseuds/YodelingProspector). 
  * Inspired by [Claimed](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13181826) by [Limmet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Limmet/pseuds/Limmet). 



> Along with the fics that inspired this, I also have to give shout outs to: 
> 
> @Alexa_520 on twitter and their adorable baby Loki comics, and @DreamingUpWorlds, also on twitter. :) 
> 
> Also of note:  
> The time period this is set in is...kinda nebulous and slightly screws up the actual timeline. Like post Homecoming, pre-Ragnarok, but Tony already knows Doctor Strange. 
> 
> Also I make no claims as to the accuracy of my depiction of an abused toddler. This is all basically just for the cuteness.

   The invisible figure stole quietly through the castle, careful not to disturb any of its inhabitants. He had been told how hard the door was to find if you didn’t know where it was and so he had taken no chances. He had planned carefully and he knew exactly where he was going. He pulled the handle, grateful that they kept it in good repair when it silently swung open, and headed quickly down the stairs on the other side. It was cold and damp in the stairwell, and he could feel slime on the wall when his fingers brushed against it.

   He hurried as quickly as he dared to the bottom and began looking into the cells this basement room contained. He tried not to look too closely at the people within them however. He was there for one particular prisoner. There was little he could do for the rest.

   The person he was after he found in the last and smallest cell. A toddler lay curled up in a ball in the middle of the stone floor inside the tiny five by five space. He couldn’t get a look at the boy’s face for all the matted black hair hiding it, but if his source was even slightly close to correct it wouldn’t be a pretty sight. He reached for the lock holding the cell door closed, careful not to jostle it against the bars, and held it in his hand, letting his magic melt it. Once it was gone he opened the door and stepped in. He was concerned when the child failed to react, even when he reached down and picked him up, but he didn’t have time to examine him. Quickly he lifted his left hand and made a portal to the Avengers compound which he immediately stepped through.

   “What the hell Doc?” Tony declared, bewildered. He was sitting on the couch, glass of whiskey in hand, watching Dogma. Or at least he had been. Now he was staring at Stephen and the cloak wrapped bundle in his arms. Stephen walked over and took the glass from him, setting it on the table before he handed the child to him.

   “That’s Loki. I don’t have all of the details, but he was turned into a child and sent to a different realm, Vanaheim, to grow up again, and hopefully better I assume. They realized who Odin had given them however and the king ordered that his magic was to be supressed and he was to be locked in the dungeon. I’ve been cultivating contacts in the other eight realms and one of mine in Vanaheim told me about him, hoping I could help. I’ve rescued him but I can’t watch him. I need to focus on finding a way to break the spells put on him. So I’m leaving him with you.” He said, being as concise as he could. Tony found himself suddenly grateful he’d only had a couple of sips of his drink. He opened his mouth to argue that he knew nothing about taking care of a toddler, but shut it after the cloak gently unwrapped itself and floated back over to Stephen, giving him his first good look at Loki’s condition.

   He was small for his age, though Tony wasn’t certain exactly how old he was, and entirely too thin. His skin, easily visible through the rags he wore, was dirty and covered in cuts and bruises and scrapes. He looked exhausted on top of everything else and he was silently staring up at him, green eyes wide and scared. Tony’s heart broke. He gently held him closer, less like a sack of potatoes suddenly thrust upon him, careful not to cause him any pain from his myriad injuries. “It’s okay Loki. You’re safe now.” He said softly, before turning back to Stephen. “Okay. I’ll take care of him. But how did they not realize sooner? What with the way he looks and the name.” He asked, curious. He noticed that Loki had tentatively snuggled against him and decided not to comment on it, figuring acknowledging it might make him panic and stop.

   “He had two more spells on him vis a vis Odin, along with the de-aging spell” Stephen explained. “One was a glamor to hide his appearance and the other so that if someone asked he would identify himself as Jari. The Vanir broke those two to confirm their suspicions however.” Tony, gently rocking Loki in his arms, nodded.

   “That makes sense.” He said quietly, worried that if he talked too loudly it would startle the tiny god currently clinging to his Led Zeppelin t-shirt. “You go figure out how to break the other spells, I’ve got him.” He was already thinking ahead, listing the most important things for him to ask Friday to get tonight and what they could wait and get later.. Stephen nodded this time and made a portal to the Sanctum.

   “You know where to find me if you need me” he said before stepping through, leaving Tony alone with Loki. Tony contemplated going and getting Peter up to help him, since the teen was staying at the compound for the summer. He doubted Peter knew any more about toddlers than he did though, and he was sleeping soundly for once, not having nightmares or anything, so Tony was loathe to wake him.

   “Fri, have some toddler pajamas, pull ups, diaper rash cream, a stuffed dragon, and the softest blanket you can find delivered ASAP.” He said softly, looking down at Loki. It was hard to believe the undersized, dirty, beaten toddler in his arms was the man who’d thrown him out his own window in a rage.

   “Of course boss” Friday said, following his lead and speaking quietly. Tony stood up, careful not to dislodge Loki’s grip on him, and headed for his room. He’d thought about putting toddler soap and shampoo on the list but he figured it was better to make do and get him clean as quickly as possible then wait on the delivery to arrive. He padded into his bathroom and straight over to the tub. Once the water was on and adjusted to a reasonable temperature, he sat down on the floor and looked at Loki again.

   “How do you feel about taking a bath little monkey?” He asked softly. He sort of doubted he was going to get a response but it didn’t feel right not to say something. Loki simply looked up at him, proving Tony’s theory correct. He couldn’t even tell if the toddler had comprehended his question. “You’ll like it, I promise.” he said reassuringly as he gently removed Loki’s hands from his shirt. Loki whimpered at being detached and it was heart wrenching, but Tony also figured it was a good sign. It meant he wasn’t entirely mute. “It’s okay” he quickly reassured him. “I’m not going anywhere” he gently began removing the dirty rags, suppressing the urge to take Loki back into his arms. After what he’d obviously been through, he deserved all of the cuddles, but he really did need to be cleaned.

   Removing what he assumed to be the Vanaheim equivalent of a cloth pull up, he confirmed his other theory. The poor kid had diaper rash. “Ouch” Tony said sympathetically. He grabbed some toilet paper and cleaned him up, Loki clearly not having been changed in awhile, before gently lifting him up and setting him in the tub. He watched while he flicked the water off as Loki’s eyes went wide again, and he let out a soft, happy coo. Tony melted and smiled at him. “Feel good monkey?” He asked as he grabbed a washcloth and his body wash. He watched as Loki moved his hands through the water and wiggled his toes while he began gently washing him, careful of his injuries. “There’s no rush to talk by the way.” He said, feeling that it was important to let Loki know, being that he was fairly confident that Loki was old enough that were he a normal toddler he would be talking, at least to some extent. “You can start up again whenever you feel ready.” He looked at Loki as he said that, and chuckled when he saw the serious expression on the toddler’s face before he went back to wiggling around in the water.

   He contemplated Loki’s hair while he finished washing him, trying to decide if the best route was to get it clean and brushed and then cut it, or cut it first. It was pretty badly tangled and he didn’t know how well Loki would tolerate him brushing it out. He concluded that it would probably be better to get it neat and clean first though. God knew what the poor kid would look like it if he cut it first. That decided, he reached for the shampoo, only to realize that he had no idea how to wash a toddler’s hair. “Fri how do I go about this?” He asked, lacking anyone else to pose the question to.

   “I’d suggest the showerhead. The internet also says a cup can be used.” She said, and Tony smiled. He hopped up just long enough to grab the detachable shower head, and sat back down.

   “Thanks Fri.” He responded before catching Loki’s attention. “So I’m gonna wet your head monkey, but I promise it won’t hurt and I’ll do my best to keep it out of your eyes.” Loki didn’t respond, but he didn’t seem freaked out by the idea, much to Tony’s relief. He switched the water back on, adjusting the temperature again, flicked it to shower, and carefully began spraying Loki’s head, holding his free hand against Loki’s forehead, just above his eyebrows, to keep the water away from his face. Loki stilled, looking at Tony with an expression that clearly indicated that he had no idea what to make of what was currently happening to him. Tony chuckled again as he finished wetting it and grabbed the shampoo. “Step one down kiddo. On to step two.” He extracted some shampoo and began rubbing it into Loki’s hair, which resulted in another happy coo as he enjoyed the sensation.

   Melted, Tony washed and conditioned his hair as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Then he pulled the plug and gently lifted Loki out, wrapping him in a towel. Loki yawned, and damn if it wasn’t one of the cutest things Tony had ever seen. He gently stroked Loki’s cheek as he grabbed his own hairbrush and carried him out of the bathroom. “Is that stuff here yet?” He asked Friday as he walked back into the den.

   “It is boss” Friday said cheerfully, and sure enough, there was a box on the living room table. Pleased, he carefully opened it one handed and dug into the box. He dug out the pull up and the pajamas first. Then ran across the two sippy cups Friday had added to the order and grinned. They were Pink Floyd sippy cups. Hell yeah. He quickly dried Loki and slipped a pull up onto him, putting plenty of diaper rash ointment on his bottom, and then dressed him in the green footie pajamas that Friday had ordered. Loki seemed bewildered that his feet were covered, but he relaxed as soon as he realized how warm and snug he was. Tony smiled and carried him over to the kitchen, bringing along one of the sippy cups.

    “Hmmm…what to feed you?” He contemplated out loud. Loki, not surprisingly, didn’t respond. He simply looked around, taking in the new room he was in while clinging to Tony again. He considered everything he had, which was not much, especially in terms of toddler friendly food. He put some water in the sippy cup and gave it to Loki while he thought. “We’re really gonna have to get some groceries delivered.” He declared as he settled on toast and snagged the loaf of bread. It would be easy on his stomach and not too messy. He popped a couple of slices into the toaster and started it. then looked at the tv and realized that Dogma was still on it.  “Okay probably best to change that” he declared to no one in particular. Salma Hayek stripping to Candy Girl definitely wasn’t appropriate for a toddler, not matter how hot it was. He flipped the movie off and put it on the first thing he found that was kid friendly.

   “So this is Blue’s Clues” he explained to Loki while they waited on the toast. “And you’re not allowed to tell anyone, but I kind of watch it on a regular-ish basis. It’s soothing. And damn if that letter song isn’t catchy.” Loki didn’t reply, but then he seemed pretty enthralled by the show. Smiling, Tony held him close and watched too, until the toaster popped and Loki jumped and looked around, wide-eyed. “It’s okay Monkey. It’s just the toaster.” Tony soothed, gently rubbing his back. He snagged a plastic plate, a knife, and the butter out of the fridge. A light layer of butter on both pieces of toast and he tossed the knife in the sink and the butter back in the fridge and carried the plate and Loki over to the couch. He settled them there, Loki on his lap facing the tv, gave him one of the pieces of toast, and set to work brushing his hair.

   “There is hair detangler in the box if you need it Boss” Friday said chimed in helpfully after watching Tony struggle for a bit.  Tony smiled, and quickly located it in the box.

   “Thanks Fri” he said gratefully. He sprayed Loki’s hair, and went back to brushing. He was doing his best to be gentle, not wanting to hurt Loki, but his hair really was a mess. Loki didn’t seem to mind Tony brushing it at least. He was happily eating the toast, holding the slice with both hands, still watching the tv.

   Slowly the knots came out and his hair hung down in jet black waves and curls. Tony was amazed by how long it was. Did toddlers usually have this much hair? He had no idea. This one definitely did though. He finally finished an indeterminate amount of time later, and gently turned Loki around to look at him. Doing so immediately brought a smile to his face. Now that he was clean and dressed in green, his hair neatly brushed, he definitely looked like a tiny version of the god that had tried to take over earth. He was absolutely as cute as a button though, and this impression was not at all lessened when he yawned again, button nose scrunching up as he did so. “Time to go to bed huh?” Tony said as he gently brushed toast crumbs off of the front of Loki’s footies. Another yawn was the only answer he got, but he figured it was as good as a yes. “Okay” He replied agreeably, “But before we do, I have something for you.” When Loki looked curiously at him he reached over to the box again and pulled out the stuffed dragon. It was green as well, a lighter shade than his pajamas. It’s stomach, inner ears, and the ridges down it’s back were yellow and it’s horns and wings were blue. He grinned when Loki lit up and wrapped his arms around, gently rubbing his chubby cheek against its soft fur. “I figured you’d like that better than a teddy bear” he said as he got up again with Loki in his arms, and if he was a little smug about it, hey the toddler was the only one here to hear. Well and Friday, but she’d never tell.

   He snagged the toast plate and sippy cup in one hand and carried them to the kitchen, Loki clinging  to him with one hand and the dragon with the other. He dumped the plate in the sink and refilled the sippy cup with more water before going back to the living room and snagging the blanket out of the box. It was super soft, per his request, and blue with yellow moons and white stars. He gently wrapped it around Loki, who cooed happily, and set off for his room again. “I don’t have a bed for you yet, so you’ll have bunk with me for the night. Not that I expect you have any problem with that Monkey” he said, smiling. He’d thought about tucking him in bed with Peter, but discarded the idea immediately. It’d be pretty confusing to wake up in bed with a random toddler, and he might freak out if he realized exactly who said toddler was. Plus he doubted Loki would be particularly thrilled about being separated from him. Which might well be a problem on down the line, but they’d cross that bridge when they came to it. In the meantime Tony had no problem with letting the little guy sleep with him.

   He gently detached Loki’s hand and set him on his bed once he entered the room, Friday closing the door behind them and turning the lights on. He whimpered, but Tony was quick to soothe him. “It’s okay Lokidoke. I’m not going anywhere. Just putting my own pajamas on.” He explained. He made sure to stay in Loki’s line of sight as he quickly changed into a pair of Simpson’s pajama pants and a red t-shirt. A gift from Peter, it had the periodic table square for iron on it, with the word man below it. Then he quickly stepped over to the bathroom, leaving the door open, and brushed his teeth. All done, he climbed into bed, gently settling Loki down next to him. Friday dimmed the lights but didn’t turn them all the way off, for which Tony was grateful. Not only had he come to prefer not to sleep in pitch black darkness, but he really doubted Loki would react well to it.

   He watched Loki’s face as they lay there looking at each other. He was obviously fighting sleep, not that Tony blamed him. After everything the poor little guy had been through, including tonight, it made sense he was a little hesitant to fall asleep. Running on a mixture of instinct and a memory of his mother he’d forgotten until just now, he gently pulled Loki close and began rubbing his back and quietly singing. “Lavender blue, dilly, dilly. Lavender green. If I were king, dilly, dilly. I'd need a queen. Who told me so, dilly, dilly. Who told me so. I told myself, dilly, dilly. I told me so. If your dilly, dilly heart, Feels a dilly, dilly way, And if you answer, yes, In a pretty little church, on a dilly, dilly day, You'll be wed in a dilly, dilly dress of lavender blue, dilly, dilly. Lavender green. Then I'll be king, dilly, dilly. And you'll be my queen.” He smiled when he finished and realized that the toddler was out like a light. He kissed him on top of the head and closed his own eyes. Tomorrow was going to be interesting, what with having to show Peter his new temporary little brother and shopping for toddler things, but right now? He felt warm and content and for once not nervous about going to sleep himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> piece of trivia for you: this chapter was actually meant to be even longer. I decided this seemed like a good stopping point though, so here we are. Also I apologize for the wait and I hope this was worth it. :)
> 
> (Oh! And you may have noticed the tags have changed. IronStrange is still not out of the realm of possibilities but I just haven’t been feeling that ship lately, so for now this is going to remain a gen fic)

  Tony awoke and was momentarily confused by the small, warm lump snuggled against his side. Then the events of last night came rushing back to him. Oh yeah. Loki. Right. Yawning, he checked on the toddler and discovered that he was still out like a light. He watched him sleep for a moment, contemplating whether or not to wake him up. On one hand, the poor thing could probably use all the sleep he could get. On the other, as little as he knew about taking care of a toddler, he was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to let them sleep all day. Speaking of which, he realized he had no idea what time it was, a fact which solidified his plan. “Hey Fri, what time is it? And is Peter awake?” He asked as he slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Loki, and padded to the bathroom to pee.

   “It is 11:30. And Peter is awake and watching youtube in the living room” Friday replied cheerfully. He finished using the bathroom, washed his hands, and slipped out of the bedroom and into the hallway.

   “Cool. Let me know as soon as Loki wakes up” Tony instructed Friday as he went to go talk to the kid. He glanced at the tv as he walked into the den, curious to see what he was watching. It was someone talking about some Cartoon Network Christmas catalogue from years ago. “2003. You can’t possibly remember any of that.” He said playfully as he walked by Peter on the couch and over to the kitchen. He fixed a cup of the coffee Peter had already made, his own cup sitting on the table in front of him. The only thing he could see of him when he joined him on the couch was his face and a tuft of brown hair, the rest of him thoroughly wrapped up in his MST3K blanket. Tony smiled and snapped a picture, sending it to Bruce. The blanket had been a birthday present to Peter from him. He and Tony had introduced him to the show, and Peter had absolutely loved it.

   “Well no. But It’s interesting.” He replied, his tone mildly defensive, though it would have been more effective if he wasn’t obviously still sleepy.  Snuggling against Tony, still in his blanket, didn’t do him any favors either. Tony chuckled and wrapped an arm around him. With his other hand he sat his cup down long enough to snag the remote and paused the video.

   “Fair enough. But change of subject. I need to talk to you about something.” He said, aiming for a tone that was serious but still cheerful. Peter immediately shifted enough to be able to look at him, and judging by the wide-eyed expression of concern on his face, he’d landed a little harder on the serious side than he’d intended. Oops. “I’m not gonna kick you out or anything like that. You didn’t do anything.” he quickly reassured him.

   “Okay.” Peter replied, relief clearly written across his face. “What is it then?” He asked, curious now that he knew he wasn’t in trouble.

   “Well uhh…” Tony started only to promptly stop, not certain how to explain. “Y’know that alien attack that happened in 2012? You must’ve been..what? 11?” He asked finally. (god he felt old.) Peter nodded.

   “Yeah.” He said, puzzled. “Why? Are those aliens coming back?” His eyes went wide again as he asked the second question, but he also looked ready to take them on himself if they were, and this kid was gonna give Tony a heart attack one day, he just knew it.

   “No. Thankfully. But the guy that was running it all? Loki, Thor’s brother? He is back. Just uh...Apparently Odin, the king of Asgard, decided that the best thing to do with him was to turn him into a toddler and see if another realm could do a better job raising him. Turns out no, they did even worse. Doctor Strange rescued him and left him with me last night while he figures out how to get him back to full sized and get his magic back since that other realm suppressed it. Sooo...you’re officially a big brother for the time being.” He finished. He had absolutely no idea how Peter was going to react. He didn’t think he’d be jealous, but aside from that? Not a clue.

   Peter was quiet for a few moments, processing what he’d been told before he replied. “I kinda wondered sometimes, what it’d be like to have a sibling” he admitted, smiling bashfully, as though he thought Tony would find it silly.

    “Well now you get to find out” Tony replied, smiling back. He could tell there was more on the kid’s mind though. “You’ve got questions. I can tell. Shoot.” He added, curious to see what Peter was wondering.

   “What do you think he’s gonna be like when Doctor Strange turns him back into an adult?” Peter wondered. Tony blinked. That thought hadn’t even occurred to him.

   “No idea” he admitted with a shrug, being honest. “I mean he tried to take over earth, so he was obviously pretty screwed up to begin with. I can’t even guess at what being turned into a toddler against his will, and then being abused and neglected by the people entrusted with his care might have done to him.” He took a sip of his coffee, watching Peter contemplate what he’d said.

   “Do you think he’ll remember being a toddler?” was Peter’s next question, his voice full of sympathy for the miniaturized god of mischief. Tony shrugged again as he took another sip.

   “Beats me kiddo.” He replied once he’d swallowed. He was glad when Peter seemed to accept that as an answer, quietly thinking again. He really didn’t know, and he couldn’t exactly get ahold of Thor to ask him any questions. For that matter he wasn’t sure he wanted to. It was entirely possible that if he did manage it somehow, that Thor would whisk Loki away, back to Asgard, and Tony wasn’t going to let that happen. Not after this whole toddler abuse thing. Plus he had a feeling there was more to Loki’s story, things that had happened before he’d been de-aged. He couldn’t pinpoint why he felt that way though. There was just something about the toddler that was niggling at him. He was distracted from his train of thought by Peter speaking up again though.

   “If we take really good care of him it might help. Once he’s an adult again he might be more normal. Less...y’know...evil. Even if he doesn’t have precise memories of it, he might remember the feelings, what it’s like to be loved and cared for.” Peter said earnestly. Tony wasn’t even remotely shocked. He should have figured Peter would want to try and redeem the god of mischief. Not that Tony disagreed. He wasn’t about to admit it, but he knew Loki was already well on the way to having him wrapped around his little finger. He was just worried about how disappointed Peter would be if Strange got him full sized again and he turned out to be completely coo coo for Cocoa Puffs, And not just in a megalomaniacal, try-to-take-over-the-world kind of way. A legit insane, put-him-in-a-mental-institute kind of way. Although even then, he could easily imagine Peter convincing him to make a place for him in the compound instead of sending him away.

   “It certainly can’t hurt. The poor kid could definitely use some love and care.” He agreed. Peter brightened, smiling happily.

   “Great! Can I meet him?” He asked, excited. Tony opened his mouth to answer but was immediately interrupted by two things, the first of which was Friday’s voice.

   “Boss, Loki is awake” she declared cheerfully. This announcement was immediately followed by the second thing, a thump from the direction of Tony’s bedroom. Concerned, Tony rushed over and opened the door to find Loki sitting on the floor next to the bed, the expression on his face clearly indicating that he wasn’t certain if this situation warranted tears or not. “He fell off attempting to climb down” Friday explained, voice colored with concern.

   “Ahhh” Tony said, relieved that it wasn’t anything worse and that Loki didn’t appear to be injured. “Where were you trying to go Monkey?” He asked the toddler, smiling. He figured that if he was matter of fact about it instead of freaking out, that the toddler wouldn’t get upset. Loki looked at him and lit up, climbing onto his feet and toddling over to Tony, arms held out to be picked up. Tony grinned, pleased to be right (and that Loki was so happy to see him) and gently scooped him up. “Hey Lokster.” He said, blowing a raspberry on Loki's cheek and making him giggle. “Do you need to use the toilet?” he added. He didn’t know if he’d even get any sort of answer, but he was hoping to at least work on potty training the toddler. Much to his surprise though, Loki nodded, still smiling. “Okay then” Tony said, smiling back. He carried him into the bathroom and set to work helping him get out of his footies.

   Once he was done and clean, including a fresh pull up, he carried him back into the bedroom. He paused to wrap him in his blanket before he headed for the door. He stopped again though, when Loki whimpered and held his hands out toward the bed. He watched him for a second, puzzled, before realizing what the problem was. “You want your dragon don’t you?” He asked as he grabbed it and handed it to him. Loki made a happy noise and held it close as he nodded and Tony couldn’t deny how adorable that was. “Okay. Now let’s go” he said, smiling.

   He carried Loki out to the den, where Peter was looking over the back of the couch in their direction, obviously worried . He smiled when he saw Loki though. Loki noticed him in turn, and bashfully buried his face against his dragon. Tony gently ran his fingers through his long locks, adding getting it cut to the list of things to do that day, as he sat back down on the couch. “It’s okay.” He reassured him, still smiling. “It’s just Peter. He’s nice, I promise.”

   “Hi Loki” Peter said softly, smiling. He waved at him when Loki peeked at him from behind the plushie and Loki smiled and waved back. Peter lit up, pleased. “I like your dragon. Does it have a name?” He asked quietly.

   Tony opened his mouth to tell Peter that Loki was basically mute but he stopped dead when Loki, still smiling, softly replied “Níðhöggr.” It came out a little mangled, but it was definitely a Norse word. Friday could apparently tell what he was saying easily enough though.

   “Nidhogg is a dragon that gnaws at a root of the world tree, Yggdrasil.” She explained cheerfully. Loki noticed her voice for the first time, having been too out of it to really pay attention the night before, and looked around the room in befuddlement.

   “That’s just Friday” Peter explained, smiling. Loki seemed to accept this explanation and held Nidhogg out so Peter could pet him. “Ooh he’s soft” Peter exclaimed as he did so. Loki nodded happily, cuddling the dragon close again once Peter was done.

   Tony wasn’t even remotely surprised that Peter had been the first one to get Loki to say something. He also suspected that if they ever teamed up against him he’d be completely screwed. They were entirely too adorable together. “are you guys hungry? It’s lunch time” he asked, smiling. He doubted Loki had been fed much before the toast he’d had last night, and with Peter’s metabolism being enhanced the way it was, whatever he’d eaten for breakfast he’d probably long since burned through.

   “yeah” Peter said happily. “Can we order pizza?” He added hopefully. Tony knew Peter was fully aware that Tony wasn’t much of a cook and had been taking advantage of that fact as much as he could since he’d arrived at the beginning of the summer, and this was no exception. He didn’t blame Peter for it though. He didn’t even like his own cooking for the most part.

   “Sure” he replied, already thinking about what to get Loki. Luckily his and Peter’s usual pizza place had a kids meal, very much reminisce of Pizza Hut’s back in the 90s. “A kids meal pizza with veggies on it would be healthy right?” He wondered aloud.

   “Yeah I think so” Peter said, though Tony wasn’t certain if he actually meant it or was just saying it to get pizza. Either way he decided to go with it.

   “Okay. Fri,  order Peter and I’s usual plus a kids meal with a vegetable pizza and see when Bruce is free to give Loki a check up after lunch. Oh and schedule a hairstylist to come over after that. Preferably one that works with kids.” He said, smiling.

   “Of course boss” Friday said cheerfully. Satisfied, Tony pulled up a holoscreen. With a few flicks he’d filled it with pictures of various toddler beds.

   “While we wait on lunch, let’s do some shopping.” He said, motioning towards the pictures. “Which one do you like the most Monkey?” He asked, smiling at Loki as he wrapped an arm around him and Peter both. Loki smiled back and started looking at the options, though as soon as he realized he could move the pictures Tony suspected he was more interested in scrolling than picking anything. At least until he found a sturdy plastic child’s bed designed to look like a castle. He happily stopped and pointed it at. Tony chuckled. “A castle bed for the little prince huh?” Loki nodded, still smiling. Whether or not he actually understood was definitely debatable, but it was cute and Tony hit order anyways. “Okay. Now we need bedding for it.” He explained as he changed the pictures displayed in front of them to various sets of sheets and comforters.

    Loki happily examined the new pictures and pointed to a set of dragon patterned bedding,a set of moon and stars bedding that matched his blanket, and a set of rose patterned bedding, all of which Tony ordered as well. Then he noticed that the next set had Thor on them. Peter noticed too and looked at him, both of them clearly wondering if they should hide the picture from Loki. They had no way to gauge what his response to them would be. They didn’t have long to worry though. Loki noticed them and lit up. “Bruvver!” He said happily. Tony looked at him, surprised but still smiling.

     “Yeah that’s Thor. Want them too?” He asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer. Loki nodded, and Tony ordered them as well. “Done” he replied, gently ruffling the toddler’s hair. Loki cooed happily and leaned into his hand, so he left it there, gently playing with the silky curls while Loki picked clothes next. His selections were a mixture of boys clothes and girls clothes. Tony was surprised at first that he didn’t show any interest  in the clothing with things like cartoon characters on it, but after a moment of thought he realized it made sense. Since he wasn’t from earth Loki had no idea what any of it was. He did have a clear preference for stars and sparkles and green though, and every Thor t-shirt they found. Tony also threw in some Loki sized band shirts and a few Iron Man shirts, just for fun.

   He let Loki pick a few other necessary things, like a toothbrush and hair brush, before they moved on to toys. Tony figured, correctly as it turned out, that once they started looking at toys there would be no going back. Loki happily picked a variety of things, though in particular he seemed to like puzzles and blocks and art supplies. The toy Mjolnir was, Tony was certain, Loki’s favorite thing they found though. His eyes got huge and he looked at it in awe. “Mjolnir” He said in amazement, although it came out closer to “molar”

   “A toy version, but yeah” Tony agreed, smiling as he hit buy. There was no way he could deny Loki one, not after seeing that expression.  The giant lego style blocks they came across soon after that were Tony’s favorite find because they made Peter light up as much as Loki, if not more so since he actually knew what legos were. Tony made sure to order plenty of them, figuring the two of them could play with them together.. “Do you want to look at lego sets?” He asked Peter, still smiling, after he was done with the giant ones. He didn’t want him to feel left out of the shopping spree.

   “If it’s not any trouble” Peter said with a pleased smile. Tony shook his head.

    “Of course not!” He replied firmly. He thought it was sweet that Peter was still so bashful about accepting things from him. He brought lego sets up in front of them. “Have at it kiddo” he said, ruffling Peter’s hair. Peter made a happy noise and proceeded to very carefully consider his options before picking four out.

   “One’s for Ned, for his birthday” he explained slightly shyly once he was done, as thought he thought Tony might think he’d picked too many. Tony nodded, smiling.

   “Okay. Sounds good to me.” He intended to ask if there was anything else Peter would like to get for Ned, but they were interrupted by the arrival of the pizza delivery person, Friday having let him in. They got the same one every time, a guy named Keno, because the pizza place knew they could trust him not to do anything dumb that might lose them Tony’s business. Tony waved him over, smiling.

   “Hey Keno. Thanks for the delivery.” He said, taking the receipt from him so he could sign it and write in a tip.

   “Hey Tony. Hey Peter. You’re welcome.” He said, smiling as he sat the food down on the table in front of them. “when did you get another kid?” He added curiously when he noticed Loki, who was peeking out at him from behind Nidhogg, one hand clutching tightly at Tony’s t-shirt.

   “Last night. It was a surprise thing.” Tony said cheerfully as he gave him the receipt back. He nodded, checking the tip with a grin and tucking the piece of paper away.

    “Ahhh. Well enjoy your pizza little dude.” He said to Loki, unbothered by the toddler’s nervousness and total lack of response. “Thanks for the tip” he said gratefully to Tony.

   “You’re welcome. See you again soon I’m sure.” Tony said, smiling. Keno chuckled as he headed out the door.

   “Yeah probably” he agreed, knowing how often Tony and Peter ordered pizza. Tony chuckled too and turned to Loki, who had noticed the scent of the pizza and was curiously looking at the boxes on the table.

   “Lunch time Monkey” Tony said, smiling. He gently shifted him off of his lap, which he’d migrated onto while they shopped, and back onto the couch in between him and Peter. He snagged the smallest pizza box and sat it on Loki’s lap, opening it and watching his face to see his reaction. He was pleased to note that the vegetables on it had been cut into toddler friendly chunks. Loki looked at it curiously for a moment before poking it.

   Tony chuckled and picked up a slice. “You eat it Monkey, like the toast last night.” He held the pizza to Loki’s mouth, watching as he obediently took a bite. Tony grinned as his eyes went wide at the flavor and he chomped into it again as soon as he’d swallowed the first bite. He handed the slice to Loki and noticed that he held it with both hands again, and at a angle rather than the typical point first. It was cute though, and wasn’t hindering him in any way, so he just left him be and dug into his own pizza. Peter had one to himself too, with wings and breadsticks on the side. Tony knew how fast the kid burned calories and always made sure he got plenty to eat. Although this time he wanted to share.

   “Want to try some breadstick?” He asked Loki, smiling and holding out a small piece. Loki curiously took it and stuffed it in his mouth. He made a happy noise around the bite and ate it. Peter offered him some wing next, holding it for him while he took a bite, but he didn’t seem to like it as much.

     “Noted. Wings not high on the Loki approved foods list.” Tony joked, though he knew Friday probably was actually making note of it. Peter chuckled and gave Loki another piece of breadstick.

   “I wonder why?” He asked thoughtfully before taking a bite of his current slice of pizza. Tony shrugged and swallowed his own bite before replying.

   “He’s an alien. Who knows what they eat in Asgard.” He was pretty sure he remembered Thor saying something about Bilgesnipe at some point, but he had absolutely no idea what that was. Peter was quiet for a moment, contemplating Tony’s reply he assumed, before he replied.

   “They are.” He agreed. “But Loki doesn’t look much like Thor” he said finally, slightly puzzled by it.

    “He’s adopted” Tony explained. He definitely remembered Thor mentioning that when they were on the helicarrier. He turned and looked at Loki, who looked back at him with his mouth full of pizza, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk, and it finally hit him what had been bothering him. The toddler in front of him had bright green eyes.

   “Hey Fri, pull up a picture of Loki during the New York attack.” He said, still looking at him.

   “Here you go Boss” she said, making a picture appear. He turned and looked at it and his mouth dropped open.  He stared at it for a moment before turning to look at Peter.

   “His eyes. I’m not crazy. They’re blue in that picture right?” He said motioning towards it. Peter looked at it and nodded.

   “They are” He agreed after swallowing a bite of pizza. He looked at Loki and tilted his head in surprise. “But his are green” he added. Tony nodded this time.

   “he mind controlled a bunch of people to help him, Clint included.” He explained, pulling a picture of Clint with blue eyes up next to the one of Loki. “We never considered that Loki might have been mind controlled too but…” he trailed off, waving a hand at the evidence.

    “So it wasn’t really his fault?” Peter said, fascinated. Tony nodded, amazed they’d missed something that in hindsight seemed so obvious. At the very least Thor should have noticed.

   “Not really.” He agreed. He ate another bite of pizza while he contemplated what to do with this piece of information. The Avengers weren’t a thing anymore and Shield was...honestly he had no idea. Finally he made a decision. “Hey Friday, call Pepper and tell her I need to meet with her tomorrow. Make it clear it’s important.” He said.

   “Of course boss” Friday replied. Tony got the feeling her reply would have been accompanied by a firm nod if she’d had a body.

   “What are you going to talk to her about?” Peter asked. He seemed concerned, even putting a hand on one of Loki’s feet protectively.

   “About seeing if we can get Loki legally cleared of any charges that might have been brought against him. And how to handle any that anyone might attempt to bring against him in the future. Also to see about getting me legal custody of him.” He said reassuringly leaving out that he was also going to talk to her about who had been controlling Loki. He didn’t want to worry him.

   “Ohhh. Okay.” Peter replied, relaxing. His face took on a look of puzzlement again as another thought occurred to him. “Where do aliens adopt babies from?” He wondered. Tony shrugged, digging into his pizza again.

   “assuming he wasn’t an abandoned Asgardian baby? One of the other eight realms I assume” he replied between bites. Peter nodded.

   “That makes sense.” He agreed. “What are the other eight realms Friday?” He asked, knowing Tony probably wouldn’t know. He was right too, not that Tony would admit it. What little research he’d done into Thor and Loki was focused on embarrassing and funny stories, not the realms or anything. Which made him suddenly remember that Loki had children in the mythology. He wondered as he watched Loki stuff pizza crust into his mouth, if those stories were true. It was a bizarre thought, a toddler having (presumably) grown children. Of course considering the cruel fates of Loki’s mythological children, he kind of hoped he didn’t. Odin really was a total bastard.

   “The eight realms besides Asgard are Vanaheim,  home to the Vanir, who are the sister race to the Asgardians, Nidavellir, Home of the Dwarves, Muspelheim, which is a world entirely on fire, Svartalfheim, which is the homeland of the Dark Elves, Alfheim, homeland of the Light elves, Midgard, which is Earth, Niflheim, which is where Hel is located, and Jotunheim, homeland of the Frost Giants.” She listed cheerfully. Peter looked at Loki again, studying him for a moment, before shrugging.

   “He doesn’t look like a dwarf or a frost giant or a elf of any kind.” He said thoughtfully, and maybe a little disappointed.

   “Technically you have no idea what any of those races look like. They might not look like any of our depictions.” Tony pointed out, amused.

   “True” Peter agreed. They both looked at Loki again and discovered that he’d curled up cat like on cushion between them and was falling asleep, arms around Nidhogg.

   “...It’s gotta be illegal to be that adorable right?” Tony asked jokingly, hoping his smile didn’t look dopey. Peter shrugged, smiling too.

   “I dunno. Ask Daredevil. He’s a lawyer.” He said, joking back. Tony looked up at Peter again, eyebrow raised.

     “You’ve been hanging out with Daredevil kid? Anyone else I should know about? And if you say Deadpool I’m not letting you out of this tower without me for the rest of the summer.” He declared. Peter blushed, which gave it away without him having to say a single word.

   “They’re both really nice. Honestly. I mean yeah, Wade’s sanity is...questionable at best. But he’d never hurt me. He and I eat tacos and play video games and they both patch me up sometimes and Matt helped Aunt May when the landlord was being an asshole and his friend Foggy is really nice too...” He said, rambling in his desperation to get across to Tony that they were okay for him to be around.

    “Breathe kiddo, breathe. I’m not actually gonna lock you in here like you’re Rapunzel. Just be safe and let me know if either of them does anything to you that warrants an ass kicking, like Wilson trying to get into your pants.” He replied, tone joking but with an undercurrent of seriousness. He didn’t point out that he had used their actual names and revealed Daredevil’s day job. Wade didn’t exactly keep his name a secret for one. Daredevil probably wouldn’t be thrilled if he found out Tony knew, but he wouldn’t because Tony was willing to keep the secret, if mostly for Peter’s sake.

   “What about when I turn 18?” Peter asked with a grin, teasing Tony. Tony simply stared at him for a second before finally replying.

   “You turn 18, you’ll be legal and I’ll have no say so. But I’d like to think you have better taste than Wade friggin Wilson.” He declared, somewhere between amused and horrified. Peter laughed, careful to do it quietly so he didn’t wake up Loki.

   “I don’t actually like Wade like that. He’s more like...a cool uncle.” He said, smiling. “Not that Matt and Foggy aren’t cool. you know Foggy was on a hockey team as a kid and they were super good? They even went to the Olympics! But they’re a different kind of cool than Wade. Wade’s the kind of Uncle that gives you the best presents and lets you have your first beer and takes you to your first R-rated movie even though you’re not 18 yet. Matt and Foggy are...the kind that give you rewards for getting good grades and give good advice and go to bat for you when your teacher’s being an asshole.” He explained.

   “So what movie did he take you to? And what did your teacher do?” Tony asked, entertained by the first and concerned about the second. He had a sneaking suspicion that Peter wasn’t making up examples. He was also a bit indignant that he apparently wasn’t the best gift giver in Peter’s life, but that wasn’t important right now.

   “Halloween. The newest one where they brought back Jamie Lee Curtis again. We saw a double feature, the original one and the new one.” He admitted, still smiling, cheeks pink again. “And the other thing wasn’t even a thing really.” He added, hoping to keeping Tony from prying further. He was a crap liar though, so it totally failed.

   “Nope. You’re not getting away that easily. What happened kiddo?” Tony asked, worried. Peter bit his lip, hesitating for a moment before finally responding.

    “It was just my science teacher this past year. Mr. Hawthorne. He applied to be a Stark Industries intern back when he was in college, and got turned down. So when he found out I’m an intern and I’m not even out of high school he got jealous. He was super nit picky about my work and graded it super low even when I didn’t get anything wrong. And then one day when I finally worked up the courage to talk to him about it he just sneered and told me that my cute smile and pretty face wouldn’t get me very far in life.”

    He paused for a moment before continuing. “I decided to skip the rest of school after that. I just didn’t want to be in the same building as him.” He continued. “And I knew you had meetings all day, and Wade was out of town, so I went over to Matt and Foggy’s office. I didn’t intend to tell them about it though. It just kind of slipped out. And they insisted on going back to school with me. They had me tell Principal Morita what happened and then said that they were representing me and they were fully prepared to sue the school for all it was worth if they didn’t fire Mr. Hawthorne. It worked and I had a way better teacher the rest of the year and that’s all. No big deal.” He finished, trying to downplay things.

   “Well. I’m glad we turned him down if he’s going around saying underaged boys have cute smiles and pretty faces.” Tony declared, disgusted. He got up and sat down on Peter’s other side, not wanting to move Loki and risk waking him up. “Why didn’t you tell me about any of this before now?” He asked as he gave him a hug. He wondered when Peter had managed to soften him up so much.

   “I thought I could handle it myself.” Peter admitted, leaning against Tony. “Cause at first I thought it was just an accident and then I figured it wasn’t but that we could talk things out and maybe i could even ask you to give him an internship or something. Then he said...that and I realized it’d never work.” He explained. Tony was struck, not for the first time, by how big hearted Peter was. He doubted that many people put in his position would have even considered the possibility of getting their teacher an internship.

   “You’re a good kid, y’know that?” Tony said affectionately. Peter blushed and smiled.

    “Thank you.” He said. “...You’re not mad about the beer?” He added after a moment, curious and a bit nervous.

   “One, it was one beer. Two, I know you’re physically incapable of getting drunk. So nah, I’m not gonna freak out over that. I don’t know that I’d tell May though. She probably wouldn’t be thrilled.” He said, amused. He was probably being a terrible influence right now, but then he didn’t feel like he was a particularly good one to begin with. He still wasn’t certain why the kid had chosen him of all people to be his father figure.

   “Okay.” Peter said with a laugh, relieved. “Can I finish my YouTube video?” He asked, knowing Friday would be able to pull up the video he’d been watching when Tony came out this morning back up in the exact right spot.

   “Yeah, have at it. I’ll clean up lunch.” Tony said, still smiling. He ruffled Peter’s hair and started picking up boxes and carrying them to the kitchen, while Peter lay down on the couch on his side, Loki tucked behind his legs. By the time he got done and walked back over to sit down, Peter was asleep too.


End file.
